


Dear Nancy

by NedsBrownEyes (KTMcGivens)



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Commitment, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Heart-to-Heart, Loyalty, Marriage Proposal, Romance, Separations, Travel, True Love, love letter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 04:19:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19191718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KTMcGivens/pseuds/NedsBrownEyes
Summary: Ned writes Nancy a love letter.  Pure fluff and romance.





	Dear Nancy

They had had an argument. It wasn’t a bad one and they made up quickly, but it had frustrated them both. The timing was awkward because they were preparing to travel. And not together. Nancy was on her way to New York City to work on a case and Ned was flying to San Francisco to attend his cousin’s funeral.

Usually Nancy would have gone with him, but the case was important, and the cousin was not very close to the Nickerson family. In fact, cousin Jim was not close to anyone, being single and completely unattached up until the day of the automobile accident that took his life. Only Ned and his parents would be in attendance to represent the family.

Nancy’s presence would have been great, Ned had thought to himself. After the funeral, they could have spent time together touring the city and seeing the sites. 

As if to read his mind, his great aunt had chided him.

“Well, Ned,” Aunt Sarah had said, during lunch at the Nickerson’s the previous day, “you can’t expect Nancy to drop everything and come with you to a family funeral. It’s not as if you’re married. She’s got her own life to attend too.”

The comment had embarrassed him, of course, but Nancy had graciously assured his family that she would have happily changed her plans and travelled with Ned had her case not involved her father and an important client.

Ned had placed his hand on her shoulder and had added that Nancy’s detective work was not something she could easily schedule, and she had to go when she was called upon to do so.

But, deep down, he was irritated. 

Afterwards, as they walked to Nancy’s car to say goodbye, Ned, still somewhat stung by his great aunt’s words, had tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, which only made things worse. 

“You know you needn’t ever feel obligated to attend these family functions,” he told her.

“It’s usually not a problem, Ned” Nancy replied, reaching inside her purse for her keys, “you know that I love your family. It’s just that this case…”

“Yeah, I know,” he had interrupted, sulking, “but there’s always a case, Nancy.”

“You know that’s not true!” she responded, getting angry, “I’ve often travelled with you!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘often’”, Ned countered, but he was already regretting this conversation.

“Are you counting, Nickerson?” replied Nancy, glaring at him, her hands on her hips, “because I can probably count on one hand the number of times you’ve traveled with me in all the year’s we’ve been together!”

“Look sweetheart,” he said, trying to salvage something from this situation, and taking her in his arms, “I’m sorry. I don’t want to say goodbye like this. I guess I’m just grumpy because I won’t see you for several weeks and I’ll miss you!”

Nancy backed down as well, realizing that she didn’t want to say goodbye to him like this either. 

“You’re right Ned,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, “I don’t want to argue. I’ll miss you too! Listen, I know you’ll be pretty busy but call me as soon as you can. O.K.?”

“You bet!” he had said, and then leaned in to kiss her, adding, “I love you.”

“I love you too, handsome!” she replied, kissing him back, before stepping into her car and pulling away.

It was while he was on the plane that he recalled her words. “In all the years we’ve been together,” she had said. Yes, they had been together for a long time. Isn’t that why she should be here supporting him? And then he thought about the words of his aunt “you can’t expect Nancy to drop everything. She’s got her own life to attend too.” Her own life. Without him. Or, perhaps, eventually with someone else. A man who won’t get annoyed when she didn’t drop whatever she was doing to fly across the country to attend the funeral of a distant cousin who had no attachments to anyone.

That’s when things became clear to him and he panicked.

As soon as he got off the plane, he looked for a gift shop and purchased some paper and an envelope. Using his suitcase as a desk, he wrote to his longtime love, pouring out the words in his heart, as he sat against a wall in the middle of the San Francisco International Airport. 

“Dear Nancy,

I hope you know I love you,  
with all that’s in my heart.  
I dread and count the empty days,  
whenever we’re apart.

I don’t know quite what happened,  
but my heart’s completely taken,  
my soul is yours forever,  
my love cannot be shaken.

I fell for you so quickly,  
as easily as breath,  
but my love will last my lifetime.  
And even beyond death.

I love you far more deeply,  
than words can ever say,  
I long to hold you in my arms,  
I long to have you stay.

I want to sleep beside you,  
and hold you through the night.  
I want to wake beside you,  
upon the morning light.

I want to be there for you,  
in sickness and in health,  
through all that life may bring us,  
in poverty or wealth.

Oh Nancy, say you love me,  
how complete my life will be,  
if you allow me by your side,  
please, will you marry me?

Love, Ned

He quickly placed the note in the envelope, bought a stamp, and dropped it in the terminal mailbox before he lost his nerve. Then he attended the funeral, all the while waiting anxiously for her response.

Her answer came by telegram the very next day. It contained only one word.

“Yes!”

Before anyone knew it, he was on a plane back to the east coast and New York City.


End file.
